


Secrets and Sinners

by yeysal



Series: Burn Out - A Chronicle [4]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: ...sort of, Bill's origins, Billford - Freeform, Ford and Bill get angry with each other, Ford finds the shapeshifter egg, M/M, Shapeshifter, we learn about Bill's origins!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2015-11-16
Packaged: 2018-05-01 21:28:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5221439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeysal/pseuds/yeysal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ford, while exploring the forest, finds a cave near the cliffs that reveal to hold some hints towards Bill Cipher's past and how he obtained his human vessel. </p>
<p>What he finds changes everything he knows about his good friend...but is it good?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets and Sinners

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to lucky number four of this series! 
> 
> It's pretty long so...
> 
> Once again, things get a little smutty at the end (and sort of at the beginning).

“So I found this strange egg in the forest…” Ford quickly flipped through the pages of his second journal for a blank page, “It’s too big to be a bird’s egg…and it was buried beneath about four feet of soil…”

Bill was sitting in the middle of the floor in the living room right in front of the fireplace with his legs crossed and in a meditative state, “Hm…”

Ford looked up curiously, “Oh…I’m sorry…I’m not disturbing you am I?”

Bill slowly shook his head and he spoke slowly, “Just concentrating…continue.”

Ford was a little hesitant, “Um…okay,” he brought his book in the living room so that he wouldn’t have to shout, “So this egg…it’s completely pristine. Not a speckle to be found…I was wondering if you knew anything about what it might contain?”

Bill’s shoulders bounced a bit as he huffed, “You want me to tell you about an egg you found in the ground? Do you have it with you?”

“Yes…uh, do you want to look at it now or…?”

“Give me a few minutes,” Bill clenched his fist in an effort to stay focused, “Go get it. Bring it in here and have a seat in front of me.”

Ford nodded and headed back into the kitchen where he placed his backpack. Setting his journal on the table, he reached for his backpack and pulled the egg out. He ran his hand over the smooth, even surface of it before he walked back into the living room.

Taking a seat in front of Bill, the brunette mimicked Bill’s position and set the egg down between them. Then he waited for Bill to finish…whatever he was doing. Ford tilted his head toward the blonde to get a better look at his focused face. Bill’s eyes were still closed and he seemed to murmuring something under his breath. It was almost as if he were talking to someone.

Ford recoiled in fear when Bill’s eyes suddenly opened. They were glowing yellow and his pupils had morphed into thin slits… “Uh, Bill?!”

Bill blinked, his eyes returning to normal and he shook his head, “Oh…I’m sorry…” His voice sounded…different. He covered his eyes with his hand and let out an exhaustive groan, “Ah…I’ll be feeling that for the next few days…”

Ford hesitantly reached out and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Do you…do you need anything?”

“Water, please…” Bill’s eyes fluttered and he avoided Ford’s gaze.

Ford stood so quickly he nearly fell over. Once he righted himself he went straight to the kitchen to grab some water. Once he filled a glass he walked back to the living room and handed it to Bill, “Are you okay…?”

Bill uttered a quiet ‘thanks’ as he took the glass and downed the whole thing at once, “In a way,” he cleared his throat, “The closer we get to restoring my power, the more I can communicate with the beings in my own dimension…when I’m attempting to communicate in this form, it takes a lot of my power and energy. I can’t even hold a conversation for thirty seconds without feeling wiped out…”

Ford reached out and patted Bill’s knee, “Do you need to lay down?”

Bill smiled, “No, you don’t have to coddle, I’ll be fine. The water helped.”

Ford grinned softly, “Okay. Just let me know if it’s too much or if you need to rest…”

Bill nodded and stared down at the egg between them, “So is this it?” He picked it up carefully, “Well, it’s definitely not the egg of anything humans are accustomed to seeing…”

Ford’s eyes widened, “So do you know what kind of egg it is? Why was it buried so deep within the earth?”

Bill held the egg up to the light of the fire, analyzing the small creature through the shell, “Hm…” his eyes widened as the fluid swirled within the egg, “Oh my…this is…if I’m not mistaken, this creature is a shapeshifter.”

Ford blinked, “A what?”

Bill smiled and pulled Ford closer, “Look,” he turned Ford’s face to look at the egg through the light, “You see how it’s changing within the egg?”

Ford placed his hand on the egg to get a better look, not minding that he and Bill’s hands were touching. He had become more than used to their physical proximities in the last six months and this was a simple, but nice gesture.

“Oh wow!” Ford grabbed the egg and peered closer as the form of the creature inside morphed into a new shape, “This is incredible!”

Bill leaned back with a small grin, “So what are you going to do with it?”

“Well…I definitely want to keep an eye on it,” he brought the egg away from the fireplace, “Since it was buried under four feet of soil I assume it’s a nocturnal creature and pretty sensitive to light and heat…”

“Shapeshifters are known for that,” Bill stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles, “I didn’t know they were still around this small town…”

“You mean there were more of them?” Ford placed the egg back in his backpack.

“For a while,” Bill leaned back on his elbows, “The last of them were migrating when I moved here three years ago. Clearly there are more around laying eggs.”

Ford brought his journal over to where Bill was sitting, “Interesting,” he wrote down notes on what Bill had just told him, “So they must move in migratory patterns…when did you move here again? Like what season was it? Do you remember?”

Bill grinned, “It was summer, August to be exact.”

Ford scribbled some notes, “So they move to a colder climate when the temperature is at its peak…they must lay eggs sometime early on…but how long do they gestate…?” Ford started to chew on his pen in thought.

Bill stretched, “Well, I think I’m going to head back to my place. Party tomorrow night, Sixer.” He smirked over at Ford, “You should come.”

Ford looked at Bill. He hadn’t been to one of Bill’s parties since six months ago. That was a wild night. The brunette chewed his lip, “I don’t know…you know I’m still recovering from the last one…”

Bill laughed and moved in front him, “Really now? That must mean you had a great time.” He placed his hand on Ford’s open book and lowered it to lean closer, “Someone must have been really good to you.”

Ford smiled as he let the book rest in his lap, “You’re bad.”

“Thank you,” Bill kissed Ford’s cheek, “So is that a ‘yes?’”

“It’s definitely a ‘maybe,’” Ford assured as he grabbed Bill’s hand and stroked his thumb along the blonde’s skin, “You know me.”

“I do,” Bill moved into Ford’s lap, his legs on either side of Ford’s hips, “So, so well.” He pulled Ford into a deep kiss. He grunted a bit when the corner of the book’s spine jabbed his abdomen and he quickly dropped the book out of Ford’s lap to move closer.

Ford was happy that he had no qualms or insecurities about these kinds of things anymore. Kissing went from nerve-wracking to damn near addicting. He was still getting used to the more…intimate…parts of their…whatever he would classify their relationship as. “Partners” seemed to be an all-encompassing term that covered all the bases.

Bill pulled away with a soft grind to Ford’s hips, “Let me know if you’ll be there?”

Ford sighed and wrapped an arm around Bill’s waist, “Of course…” he leaned his head against Bill’s chest, “I’ll…think about it…”

Bill smiled and tilted Ford’s head to kiss him again, “I know you will.” He rested his forehead against Ford’s and they stayed that way for a few moments before Bill stood up and brushed himself off, “Have fun studying the egg.”

Ford nodded and waved Bill off as the blonde made his exit.

He still had no idea why Bill would want anything to do with him aside from the work they did together. He had no doubt about his own ability to assist Bill or vice versa, it was just the other parts that he _couldn’t_ wrap his head around.

How often do powerful gods choose people like him for the things they had been doing together? In all of the literature he ever read, gods were beautiful and so was anyone associated with them.

Ford never thought he would fit into that category. Bill had told him countless times that it was never about the superficiality of it. Gods were far above a human society’s standard of “beauty.” Bill flippantly admitted that he really had no idea what that even meant.

Ford stood and picked up his journal. He figured he would return the egg to where he found it and set up a monitor to detect when it was close to hatching.

Grabbing his supplies, he set out to the forest.

* * *

After placing the monitor on the egg and testing it to make sure it worked, Ford spent two hours tossing dirt back over the egg. By the time he was finished, the sun was almost set.

Wiping his forehead, Ford stood up, cracked his back, and rolled out his shoulders. “I really need to get back in shape…” he started to pack up his supplies when he noticed something unusual about fifty feet from him.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked over to where a small area of the woods where it looked like the ground had been disturbed a few years ago. There was a long, oval shaped patch where the grass was slightly greener than the rest. Fresher.

Ahead of it were a bunch of boulders that were peculiarly stacked near the edge of the cliffs. It was odd to say the least. Ford ventured to guess that it was man-made.

When he approached the boulders, Ford noticed there was a small pathway that animals might have taken to come drink water. The only strange thing about that was there was no reason an animal should take this route to the falls. The steep slopes surrounding this side of the falls was dangerous compared to the other side. There was no reason an animal worth its salt would venture to this side. Regardless, Ford followed the short footpath all the way to edge of the cliffs and paused at the sight before him.

It was a cave. A cave hidden beneath the falls.

Ford dropped his bag gently and fished out his headlamp and small flashlight. Once he adjusted his equipment, he slung the bag back on his shoulder and headed into the cave.

It was damp as to be expected but otherwise there was nothing to note right away. Ford could tell it was deep by the echoes of water dripping in the distance. He was a few meters in when he noticed some odd formations that led to a wide empty area of the cave.

He nearly dropped all of his supplies when he saw drawings etched onto the wall. He excitedly adjusted his headlamp as he approached the slabs. The writing appeared to be ancient…but it seemed as though the ones who wrote it used the grammar style of modern English.

Ford laughed out of amazement, “It’s an ancient language but it appears to be used by a modern civilization…” he shook his head, “Interesting…” He took out his notebook and began writing the phrases down to translate later. The drawings stretched out in either direction on the wall and Ford followed them, copying the writings.

He stopped when he came upon a drawing of a triangle figure that looked _extremely_ similar to Bill’s true form…

Curious, Ford quickly copied down the phrases next to it. There were drawings of fire and people that appeared to be burning below it. In a small sketch off to the corner was a picture similar to the wheel that Bill had tattooed on his chest.

Ford jumped in surprise when his foot slipped and sunk down into a hole. The sound of creaking wood echoed through the cave. Ford grunted as he yanked his foot out and turned his flashlight to the ground.

He was standing on top of something…whatever it was…the wood it was made of was long rotted. Carefully, he knelt down near where his foot had gone through and focused his light inside.

Before he could peer inside, he heard the sounds of flapping in the distance. He looked up in the direction of the source of the sound and saw what looked like a flurry of bats heading straight for him. Ducking down to avoid getting clipped, Ford felt a shiver run down his spine at the loud roar of hundreds of wings flapping at once.

He curiously lifted his head to take a look. HE was shocked to see that instead of regular bats, these creatures had bat wings and eyes for bodies…Ford thought he would faint at the sight but his curiosity kept it at bay. How was this possible…?  When the rest of the strange creatures cleared out, Ford made a mental note to hunt a few down for tomorrow’s adventure.

For now, he brought his attention back to the hole in the ground. He focused his flashlight inside. It was a rather deep hole and Ford, against his better judgment, decided to reach in. At first he felt nothing but the deeper he reached, the more he started to feel something at his fingertips.

It felt like fabric. Once Ford stretched enough to grab a handful of it, he tried to lift it up. It was big whatever it was…but light. Ford sighed as he dropped it. He felt the edges of the wood where the hole was and decided to break it apart.

Five minutes later, the small hole was now a gaping six feet long. Ford took a deep breath as he wiped his brow again. There was no escaping a shower today. Ford focused the light onto the hole again and saw the dark fabric that lay spread inside. He reached down and grabbed it once more, pulling it up and off to reveal…

A corpse…

A skeleton to be exact.

Ford tumbled backwards out of fright and fell a few feet away. “What?! B-But…what _is_ this place?!”

Once he composed himself, he crawled back over what was now accurately defined as a _coffin_. He peered over the edge and analyzed the body inside. The corpse was dressed in what looked like ceremonial robes. The robes were faded and worn and Ford ventured to guess that this body had been buried for at least two hundred years.

But why was it buried in a cave of all places?

Ford was about to grab his camera to take a picture when something beneath the sleeves of the robe caught his eye. He gingerly grabbed the sleeves and lifted the corpse’s arms to reveal a flat object lying on the chest cavity. He grabbed it and carefully dropped the arms.

It was a book. A small one. Ford blew the dust off of it and wiped the covers with his sleeve. On the cover and drawn in intricate gold markings was Bill’s true form…only with a giant ‘x’ crossed over it.

Ford fell back on his heels as he stared at it. Why would drawings of Bill’s form be in this cave? Why would a book with his form on it be _buried_ with some…corpse in a coffin?

Ford jumped when his watch started beeping to indicate that it was close to nine in the evening. He looked back at the corpse within its coffin and the writing on the cave wall.

Ford would have to pause his research on this place to another day. But not before he pocketed the book he found.

* * *

When Ford finally made it back to the shack, it was well past ten and he was fired up with the need to translate the strange writings he found. He piled up his books of ancient languages and set to work.

An hour later, he was sitting dejected at the translations before him. “No…it can’t be…”

_‘An all-knowing creature… He will protect us all. Summon him with a human medium and he will speak through them.’_ This phrase was furiously scratched out.

_‘It must be contained…we must seal it.’_

_‘When gravity falls, and earth becomes sky, fear the beast with just one eye…’_

_‘Do not ever summon this creature.’_

Above where the corpse was buried, _‘Come no further…’_

Ford stared at the translations and shook his head. He couldn’t fool himself. These were about Bill. The book buried with the corpse was more than evidence of that.

Speaking of which, Ford grabbed the book and opened it carefully. The pages were stuck together pretty badly and Ford grabbed his tool kit to remove some tweezers. Once all the pages were loose and fluffed, Ford began reading.

The book contained spells on summoning…and containing what these people referred to as the “Chaos God.” Thought to be a god of infinite knowledge and power, these people originally summoned it to protect their town from foreign invaders.

But something went wrong. The translation was a bit off and Ford couldn’t tell if the deal went sour and the god turned on them or just turned on them for the sake of turning on them. Either way, it appeared the townsfolk weren’t content with the god they summoned and came up with a way to seal him in a human form.

But it left so many unanswered questions. Bill told Ford he had moved here in Gravity Falls one year before he did…If what he read in the book was true…it would mean that Bill lied to him…lied about his past.

Lied about Ford…

Ford angrily slammed his fist on the table. He didn’t sleep at all that night.

* * *

 

Ford spent the entirety of the next day in the cave examining the corpse inside the coffin along with the book he found with it.

From what Ford could deduce, this corpse was the soothsayer who performed the spell that trapped Bill in a human form. Ford speculated that they buried the man deep within the cave to prevent any chance of summoning the Chaos God again.

It didn’t explain why Bill suddenly appeared three years ago.

Ford decided to make a trip to the Gravity Falls library.

After going through multiple records, Ford found that an older Native American group of people originally inhabited the area that included Gravity Falls. However, the group did not stick around for the European settlers to make themselves cozy.

After that, records of that civilization seemed to stop and the area became populated with European settlers. Ford noted that the small group of settlers who settled in what was now known as Gravity Falls was a particular group of people from the Celtic regions of Europe.

Ford shuffled through the stack of books on the table and found the one on early Celtic religious sects. In particular, he searched for any defects that might have traveled across the sea. He let out a frustrated sigh as he came up with nothing.

Bill wasn’t even on the list of Celtic deities…unless Ford was missing something.

Ford’s last resort was asking Bill about all of this. He had a feeling that Bill wouldn’t be too happy about the findings of Ford’s day.

Just the thought of it made Ford’s chest ache and he didn’t want to admit to it. He hated that illogical prod in his chest.

The best he could come up with after hours of research was that an old-world Celtic group of defects from Europe attempted to summon a deity and ended up severely regretting it.

Ford realized he had no choice. He would have to ask Bill.

* * *

Evening fell and the air was chilly and damp with the promise of rain to come. Unfortunately, Bill’s party was in full swing.

Which meant that now Ford was risking making Bill unhappy AND ruining his party. He didn’t see any good coming from this at all. But it didn’t matter. If he went one more second without some answers and that stupid ache in his chest he thought he would drive himself insane.

Ford pushed the doors open and was bombarded by loud music and flashing lights. It was reminiscent to the party from six months ago and Ford felt a nostalgic wave wash over him at the sight.

“Ford, right?” One of the guests approached him with a drink in his hand, he was a short fellow and he seemed…a little too well dressed for the occasion.

“Uh…yeah,” Ford’s gaze shifted, “I’m looking for-“

The shorter man pointed up the stairs, “He’s up there.”

Ford followed his gaze up the steps and said a quick ‘thanks’ as he headed in that direction. The brunette hardly noticed the guests anymore. The parties used to sound so enchanting but now that he had a bone to pick it just didn’t seem to intimidate him like it normally would.

Ford paused at the top of the stairs when his eyes landed on Bill.

The blonde was slouched in one of the armchairs facing the stairs. His shirt was buttoned all the way down to his navel and he appeared to be passed out.

Ford sighed and rolled his eyes. If Bill was shit-faced then he wouldn’t be able to get any talking done. He walked over the blonde and gently tapped his cheek, “Bill?”

Bill’s eyes fluttered open and he stared at Ford disbelievingly, “Sixer?” He sat up in the chair and stretched, a small smile forming on his face, “You made it. Didn’t think you’d show…”

Ford looked around for any stalkers and knelt down in front of him, “Something came up…I have to talk to you.”

Bill smiled and ran his hands through Ford’s hair gently, “Of course,” he stood up shakily from the chair, “I need some water first, though…” he eyed Ford’s hand, “What’s that you have there?”

Ford looked down, “It’s actually what I want to talk to you about,” he brought the book forward and showed it to Bill, “I found this in a cave…”

Bill’s expression went from blank and empty to surprised and dumbfounded. Immediately, he walked over the top of the stairwell and shouted for the lights to be turned on and the music off, “This party’s over! Out! Get out now! If you’re still here in five minutes you will be flayed! Out!”

Ford shifted nervously where he stood and froze when Bill’s harsh gaze landed on him, “You stay right where you are, Stanford.”

Ford opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the deadly flash in Bill’s eyes as he watched the other man walk down the stairs to make sure everyone was leaving. Ford cracked his knuckles anxiously, listening as Bill got into little arguments as he reassured the next party would make up for this one.

Ford tried to ignore the threats Bill’s friends directed at him for ruining the party so early.

When the last of the guests left, a calm silence washed over the mansion save for the sounds of the great doors closing and Bill’s silent footfalls up the steps. Bill stopped a few feet in front of Ford and ran his hands through his hair frustratingly, “First of all,” he pulled his hair back tight against his scalp, “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you found this **the second** you laid eyes on it?”

Ford shrugged defensively, “I didn’t know what this was! That’s why I’m here!”

Bill shook his head disbelievingly, “Do not lie to me, Stanford,” he pointed at him warningly, “I know you. I know you read through that book, I know you read the writing on the wall, and I know what you must have spent a lot time researching it. So tell me what you really want to know from me.”

Ford didn’t know why Bill was so upset when _he_ was the one keeping the secrets in the first place. Ford held the book up, “What exactly is this, Bill? What happened all those years ago? How long have you **really** been in Gravity Falls?”

Bill looked up at the ceiling and smiled humorlessly, the anger gone from his eyes and replaced with a blank idleness, “It’s not something I like discussing…because it only makes me angry.” He looked back at Ford, quickly walking over to yank the book from his hands, “This…this treacherous piece of waste…”

Ford walked closer to Bill, “Bill, please, I need to know…you have to understand…”

Bill shook his head as he ran his fingers over the triangle shape in front of the book, “You have to go…”

“What?” Ford leaned down to look at the other man’s face, “Bill-“

“You don’t trust me, Stanford,” he deadpanned as he glared at Ford, “I can see it in your eyes. What good would explaining myself be at this point? You’ve probably found a plethora of knowledge on your own.” He gestured to the door, “So please, get out.”

Ford stared at Bill incredulously, “Bill, please, I just want you to tell me what this is all about! I never expected to find this…and I didn’t want to bother you because I knew you were planning-“

“Get. Out. Now.” Bill fixed Ford with a hard glare, “I won’t ask again.”

Ford huffed in disbelief and held his arms out, “You want to keep your secrets? Fine. I thought that we were supposed to be open and honest through this whole thing but you know, I guess that only applied to me. My mistake.” Ford picked up his bag and started walking down the stairs, ignoring the pained expression on Bill’s face as he opened the heavy doors and walked away from the mansion. He didn’t look back.

* * *

 

When Ford arrived back at the shack, he was in a worse mood than he had been in six years. Bill’s reaction to the book was expected but he never guessed that Bill would be so upset that he didn’t want to talk to him. Ford sat at his table and no sooner did he open his books did he hear the rain start pouring outside.

Two hours had passed and Ford couldn’t concentrate on his work. All he saw was Bill’s angry, hurt expression as held that book in his hands. Ford sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, _‘Maybe I should have asked him first…’_

**_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_ **

Ford looked up from his book and waited to hear whoever was at the door to make themselves known. When nothing came, Ford stood up, “Who is it?”

“It’s me…”

Ford quickly made his way to the door and opened it to reveal a sopping wet and shivering blonde standing on his porch, “Bill?”

Bill had his arms wrapped tightly around himself and his lips quirked up slightly as he leaned against the doorframe, “I’m sorry…” His voice was soft and he held Ford’s gaze with a tender expression.

Ford grabbed Bill by the arm and pulled him inside, “Come on…” He led Bill into the living room and quickly turned on the fireplace, “I’ll get you a change of clothes.” He patted the blonde’s shoulders, “Do you need anything else?”

Bill didn’t take his eyes off of Ford as he shook his head, “I’m cold…”

“Right…” Ford quickly walked out of the living room and when he returned, he had some sweater pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. “These might be a little big but it’s all I’ve got.”

“Thank you…” Bill had peeled himself out of his white shirt and pants and was now sitting near the fire.

Ford handed him the clothes, “Don’t sit too close,” he offered his hand to help the blonde up, “You might burn yourself.”

Bill let out a small laugh as he stood, “You’re funny, Sixer.”

Ford smiled, a little relieved that Bill didn’t seem as angry with him as he was earlier. He gave his friend some privacy as he slipped into the dry clothes. There was an awkward silence as the two sat back down on the floor with about two feet of space between them.

Bill broke the silence with a sigh, “I think…I think you should start by telling me what you know. And don’t play cute, I know you researched the hell out of the subject before coming to me so…don’t patronize me.”

Ford gulped and rubbed the back of his neck, “Well…based on what I researched the group of people who are responsible for the drawings in the cave and…that book are from some old, religious Celtic sect. There wasn’t about the particular group that came here…and I couldn’t find you in a list of the Celtic deities…unless you went by a different name…” Ford shrugged, “Other than reading the spells in the book…that’s pretty much it…”

Bill nodded, “Okay…” he stretched his legs out and leaned back to lie on the floor, “Well, for starters, I’m not a Celtic deity…I don’t belong to any man-made religion. I am my own independent being.”

Ford looked down at Bill, “So why did they summon you?”

“They didn’t. I came to them. And I told them how to summon me.”

“Oh…”

Bill rested his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, “They assumed I was related to one of their deities that followed them to this land. So they built a shrine of worship in a cave. They asked me to protect them and to keep their small village full of prosperity and life. So I did. All I wanted in return was their compliance that they would let me be their leader for their entire occupation in this little land. They readily agreed.

“Things were good for a while. Pretty quiet actually. Until one day, the soothsayer met a shaman that I had dealt with in the past. I never expected the two of them to become so… _acquainted_ …with one another.” A look of anger crossed Bill’s face and he shook his head, “After one day, the shaman and the soothsayer felt a strong desire to ask me what I really wanted from the people of the small village.” Bill looked at Ford, “It’s exactly what you’re helping me with right now with the portal.”

“You wanted them to build the portal…?”

Bill chuckled, “Silly me, right?” the blonde shook his head, “Anyway, after they learned about that they weren’t too happy about it…I think it was a little too _progressive_ for their tastes…people back then weren’t really content with the whole education thing…”

“So they trapped you in a human form…?”

Bill grunted, “Yes. With the assistance from the shaman, the soothsayer and the rest of the village gathered in the shrine for the ritual. A volunteer had to willingly give themselves up to contain me…and the stronger their will, the stronger the seal. Once that was complete, I was trapped and more human then than I am now.

“They tried to burn me at a stake but with my power, I couldn’t die even in that body. They tried hanging, decapitation, and even cutting off my limbs. I never died.”

Ford shuddered listening to this. How could someone go through that and not _want_ to die?

Bill made a small noise in the back of his throat, “So they buried me,” his lips quirked into a wry smile, “Not too far away from the shrine where they used to worship me. They placed a seal on me,” he gestured where the wheel was tattooed on his chest, “This seal keeps me locked within the body…”

Ford turned to face Bill, “But how did you get out? Why did you move into the mansion on the hill?”

Bill looked at Ford, “I’m very patient, Sixer,” he stared at his palm, “I waited for an opportunity to escape and ran with it. Plus, the founders of this small town aren’t exactly the squeakiest of clean persons. A little blackmail was enough to scare them off.” He looked up at the ceiling, “When I realized I still retained some of my abilities I was surprised…but it costs me a lot of energy. This vessel can only handle so much…”

Bill didn’t continue after that and Ford felt that there was something missing, “So that’s it? That’s why you got so upset with me earlier? Why couldn’t you just tell me that six months ago?”

“I didn’t see the point,” Bill sat up on his elbows, “What was I supposed to say? ‘Hi, my name is Bill, I’m a god and I have a human shell because a group of non-progressive, close-minded humans don’t like higher enlightenment?’”

Ford shook his head, “Well, you could have been more upfront after we made our deal…or before we made the deal. I would have understood…”

Bill shrugged, “I don’t see how it would have made a difference.”

“So why did you get so upset? You were angry enough to stop your party.”

Bill frowned and reached for his discarded rain-soaked pants, “It’s about this little book,” he fished the small book from his pocket, “This book was given to the settlers by the shaman. It contains various spells on summoning me as well as destroying me.”

“Destroying you…?”

“Well, banishing me more or less.” He flipped through the book’s pages, “The spell that’s on me now is the most powerful. Being trapped in a human form is extremely limiting since whatever powers I have are extremely reduced. They also have wards and other spells that keep me away from things.”

“So the settlers were the ones who warded the space craft?”

Bill nodded, “Trapping me in this form nearly destroyed their village,” he scoffed, “The idiots…” he grinned playfully at Ford, “You know, out of all the species throughout the universe, humans are the only ones that are mostly content with knowing absolutely nothing?”

Ford chuckled, “Ignorance is supposed to be bliss.”

Bill shook his head, “Imagine the possibilities, though,” he showed him the book, “I was about to advance an _entire_ civilization. Then they got scared and decided to trap me. It’s ludicrous how terrified humans are of advanced knowledge.”

Ford leaned back, “So once I build the portal, you’ll be able to get your powers back?”

“Well, it’s a start,” he opened the book, “One of these spells could actually grant me my powers back to a nice degree…but it would mean me not being in this dimension anymore. Do you remember the dream you had in the Mindscape?” When Ford nodded Bill continued, “That would be the only way we could communicate. Through our deal I still have access to your mind, but you wouldn’t see me like this.” He gestured to his own body. “I’m damned if I stay here and I’m damned if I’m limited to the Mindscape. If I had my true, physical form, things would be much better.”

Ford shifted laid back and stretched his arms behind his head, “So it’s easier to be human?”

Bill scoffed, “Hardly,” he ran his fingers over his skin, “You fleshbags are so sensitive to everything. Not all it is bad though. Your pain tolerance is intriguing but you’re not the most well developed of species in the universe. That’s why it’s a rarity to find humans as intelligent as you.” He smirked, “I can’t say I don’t enjoy this body every once and a while, I think you can agree with that.”

Ford blushed furiously and cleared his throat, “Um…so,” he felt compelled to keep the subject matter on the point of interest, “What are you going to do with that?” He gestured to the book.

Bill pursed his lips in thought as he held the book back up and ran his fingers over the ridges of the cover, “Well…” he handed the book over to Ford, “I’m going to let you keep it.”

“Wait…what?” Ford looked at Bill suspiciously, “Bill, you _just_ said some of those spells can do some serious harm to you. What if the wrong person gets their hands on it?”

Bill didn’t stutter. “Then keep it somewhere safe.”

Ford shook his head as he looked down in disbelief and worry, “I don’t know…why not destroy it? Why give it to me?”

There was a little glimmer in Bill’s eyes as he smiled, “Because I trust you.”

Ford opened his mouth to retort but realized nothing he could say would hold any weight in the conversation. He understood exactly what Bill was doing. He understood had just given Ford the power to destroy him…and he trusted Ford with his life.

That was a heavy responsibility…and Ford took the book slowly from Bill’s hands. Bill still looked a little unsure but once his hand let go of the small book he took a deep breath and nodded, “Just…keep it safe…”

_Keep me safe._ Bill didn’t actually say it…but Ford heard it in his thoughts.

Ford bit his lip as he looked up in thought, “I know just where to put it…” Quickly, he got up and ran to the room that was supposed to be his bedroom. There was an old bedframe that wasn’t set up yet and Ford wasn’t sure why he hadn’t tackled that yet. He walked over to the wall where a painting of a ship at sea hung and he removed it to reveal a latched door to a wall-safe.

Punching the combination, he opened the latch to reveal a small box with another combination. He opened the box and placed the book inside. After he secured both the box and the wall-safe, Ford headed back into the living where he saw Bill sitting up with his legs folded into his chest and his head in his hands.

He quickly moved to Bill’s side and put a hand on his shoulder, “Hey…are you alright?”

Bill slid his hand over his forehead and into his hair, “I’m sorry…you’re right. I should have been more open…I just feel like I messed everything up. I understand if you don’t trust me as much anymore…”

Ford gripped his friend’s shoulder, “No, it’s not that. I still trust you, Bill,” he took a deep breath, “And…I’m sorry, too…” He began rubbing Bill’s back soothingly, “I probably should have asked you first before I let my imagination get the better of me…you’ve been nothing but helpful to me and I should have trusted you with it first…” He realized that by digging up that corpse he might have put Bill in danger…he would have to be careful.

Bill stiffened a bit and he looped his arm under Ford’s and pulled him closer, “It’s alright.” He rested his head on Ford’s shoulder.

Ford sat back and stretched himself so that Bill could sit in his lap. He wrapped his arm around Bill’s waist and held the blonde against him. As he rested his chin on top his friend’s head, he sighed, “I’m sorry you had to go through that…”

Bill chuckled, “It wouldn’t be the first time, Sixer.”

Ford smiled and rested his chin against the blonde’s head. They sat there in a calm silence for a few minutes. Bill had taken to running his other hand over Ford’s knee in small circles. The touch was simple but comforting.

Ford cleared his throat, “So, uh,” he looked down at Bill’s face, “I put a monitor on the shapeshifter egg so that when it starts to hatch I can be there to see it.”

“Yeah? Just be careful, shapeshifters can be pretty dangerous, even the little ones.” Bill slowly trailed his hand down Ford’s thigh, “They typically start shifting into the first thing they see.”

Ford watched Bill’s hand apprehensively and sighed when Bill rested it back on his knee again, “How are the…” his words caught in his throat awkwardly, “The clothes are comfortable, right?”

Bill pulled back and gave him a strange look, “Well…” he rubbed his arms, “The shirt’s a little itchy now that you mention it…” he quirked an eyebrow up at Ford, “Why do you ask?”

Ford shook his head, a small blush forming on his cheeks, “Nothing! I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable…”

Bill smirked and leaned closer, “Hm,” he nuzzled Ford’s shoulder, “Your shirt is nice. Very soft. That’s another thing I like about being human…” He ran his hands over Ford’s pants, “These are little stiff…but they feel cozy.”

“You like fabrics?”

Bill hummed and kissed Ford’s neck, “Among other things,” he nipped lightly at the skin, “The clothes are nice but this,” he slipped his hand beneath Ford’s shirt, “This is also nice.”

Ford shuddered at Bill’s chilly touch, “Your hands are cold…”

Bill smiled, “Sorry,” he didn’t sound sorry, “Your skin is so warm…” he snuck his other hand underneath a bit more playfully, “Ooh…very nice.”

Ford felt like he was under attack and he hissed, “Dammit…you’re freezing!”

Bill laughed as he pulled Ford into a hug mostly to keep the other man from pulling away from his cold hands, “You won’t feel it in a second.” His pulling surprised the other man and they both fell onto the floor with Bill lying beneath Ford. The blonde chuckled as Ford attempted to get up but was pulled back down by the blonde.

Ford shook his head against Bill’s shoulder, “You are evil.”

Bill nuzzled Ford’s ear, “You have no idea.”

Ford fell silent as he rested comfortably on top of Bill. The sound of rain still pattered against the roof, “The rain hasn’t stopped…” he lifted his head to look at Bill, “I can make us some tea.”

Bill looked conflicted, “Hm, or we could stay right here?”

Ford smiled, “But just think of how comforting a nice, hot cup of tea would be? I have the cinnamon one?”

Bill scrunched up his nose.

“Jasmine? Green? Black tea?”

Bill’s eyes lit up, “Ooh, the black tea sounds nice.”

Ford nodded, “Black tea it is then,” he moved to get up when he realized Bill was still holding him hostage, “Um…I’m gonna need you to let me go…” he chuckled at Bill’s pout, “You hold me here any longer I won’t make any tea at all…”

Bill sighed, “First thing’s first,” he pulled Ford down again for a kiss. It was gentle at first until Bill deepened it quickly and moved his hands up Ford’s back. The movement slowly lifted Ford’s shirt and Bill smirked against the brunette’s lips as he felt him shudder against him.

Ford was about to become happily lost in the activity until Bill ended the kiss with a little nip at Ford’s lower lip and removed his hands from beneath Ford’s now bunched up shirt.

Bill smiled and blinked up at Ford, “You’re free to go make us some tea now, Sixer,” he winked.

Ford shook his head, “Evil.” It was difficult to tear himself away but he managed it somehow…

While he was up and moving, he decided to get his radio from outside and turned on the jazz station again. He wished he could have moved it further inside but his station didn’t pick up too well in living room. After the water began boiling, Ford readied two mugs with tea bags of his favorite black tea and let the tea brew.

It felt like an eternity to wait and once he brought the mugs in the living room, he nearly dropped them.

Bill was still sitting in front of the fire but he had removed the shirt he was wearing and instead and a blanket resting over his shoulders. Ford sat down beside him and handed him the mug. The jazz music filtered nicely through to the living room where it wasn’t too loud but easily within earshot. “The shirt was too itchy, I take it?”

Bill grabbed the mug with a smile, “It was getting a little stuffy,” he took a sip, “Mm, this is good.”

Ford nodded as he took a sip as well. He eyed Bill’s tattoo, “I thought your tattoo was an actual tattoo. Not a seal.”

Bill looked down at the wheel inked on his chest, “Ah, yeah…” he reached for Ford’s free hand and placed it on his chest, “You can feel beneath the mark where they carved it into the vessel’s skin…”

When Ford’s hand touched Bill’s chest, his heart nearly skipped a beat but when he felt the small scar underneath the seal, “Wow,” he set his mug down and peered closer at the seal, “So this is a magic mark that formed after the ritual was complete.”

Bill set his mug down and nodded, his other hand relaxed around Ford’s wrist, “It’s essentially a lock,” he trailed his hand down Ford’s arm, “I feel like it torments me every time I look at it in a mirror…”

Ford glanced up at Bill’s face. His eyes had a sadness in them that he rarely saw, “It’s okay…” he grabbed Bill’s other hand, “You could always hide it if it makes you insecure.”

Bill laughed, “Insecure? Please…” he laced their fingers together, “Why should I feel insecure?”

Ford shrugged, “I don’t know…you shouldn’t,” he smiled and brought his hand that was formerly on Bill’s chest up to Bill’s cheek, stroking it slightly with his thumb, “You shouldn’t be insecure at all.”

Bill opened his mouth to respond but quickly stopped and smiled. He pulled Ford closer and kissed his cheek.

In a moment of rare confidence, Ford pulled back and pressed his lips to Bill’s in order to continue their previous kiss. Bill was please with the fervor Ford started with and eagerly fed into it by returning his hands beneath Ford’s shirt.

Ford jumped at the cool touch again and gently pulled Bill into his lap. The blonde quickly straddled him and wasted no time in lifting the brunette’s shirt up and off. In an effort to at least pretend to be in control, Ford straightened his back out and wrapped his arm around Bill’s lower back.  
The blonde responded by delivering a sharp grind to his hips which caused Ford to break the kiss to stifle a groan against Bill’s shoulder. He didn’t resist when Bill hastily unbuttoned Ford’s pants and pushed Ford back onto the floor.

Ford noticed that the blanket Bill had over his shoulders now rested over his hips and he ran his hands through the blonde’s hair as he made quick work of removing his pants. Once that task was complete, Bill quickly removed the sweatpants Ford had leant him and moved to straddle Ford’s hips again.

Ford was about to pull Bill down for another kiss when the blonde pulled him up and cupped his face in his hands. Bill pulled back when Ford leaned towards him, “I have to ask you something…”

Ford nodded, “Yes…”

A small blush formed over Bill’s face, “I want to go further…if it’s alright with you?”

Ford felt something drop in his chest, “How much further…?”

“As far as you want.”

Ford shuddered a bit and held the blonde closer, “I don’t know what I’m doing…”

“Neither do I…” Bill rested his forehead against Ford’s, “Well…I know some of what I’m doing…”

Ford trailed his hands down Bill’s waist and rested them at the band of the blonde’s underwear. He felt Bill tense up a bit as he hooked his thumbs beneath them. When Bill lifted his hips as a sign to go ahead, Ford gently removed them and kissed Bill’s shoulder, “Yes.”

Bill smiled and gently pushed Ford to lay back on the floor as he straddled his hips with a soft grind, “Perfect…”

Ford was sure that obtaining his twelfth P.HD was his favorite moment of all time.

With jazz music playing into the background and two mugs of forgotten, cold tea, Ford wasn’t sure how he managed to last the entire evening. The rain had stopped way before they could even finish their first round.

They were an hour until dawn when they tired out. With Bill pressed up against his side, Ford wrapped an arm around Bill’s shoulder as the blonde rested his head on his chest. He kissed the top of his head and pulled the discarded blanket over them.

Ford realized he could get addicted to this feeling of complacent comfort with another person. Well, maybe not another person…but Bill. The fact that he looked forward to moments such as these at first made him nervous but now…he reveled in the happiness and warmth in brought him.

He shivered a bit when Bill brought his hand up to trace small designs on Ford’s chest, “Hey, Sixer,” his voice sounded hoarse, “Have you ever considered getting a tattoo?”

**Author's Note:**

> Whew! I hope you all enjoyed it! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think! Comments are greatly appreciated.


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